Need Mac buying help...

[juliem888]

Okay I decided that I am switching to Mac, I own almost everything else apple has..lol

So I need your help please... I am looking at the all in one macs (the iMac).. Are they worth it? What specs would you suggest? I would like to run photoshop cs5, perhaps Lightroom etc.

I have googled and searched here, but most people have MacBooks, I don't want a laptop sorry mean notebook :-)

I am thinking of this model with upgrade to 8mb ram + upgrade to i7
3.1GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
2560 x 1440 resolution
4GB (two 2GB) memory
1TB hard drive1
AMD Radeon HD 6970M with 1GB
+ the time capsule (worth it?)
+ warranty (again worth it?)

Thanks ladies any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and if not the iMac why the macbookpro other than travelling with it?
(gotta love Christmas + birthday close together..lol)

[BrattyMeg]

Looks like the one you have selected is the high end...I have a lower end 21 inch imac (the one before they upgraded this last time)
mine is only an i3, 4gb memory, 500gb hd and I run cs5 and bridge, firefox, yim, lightroom sometimes, plus random other stuff and have no problem. I think your specs are more than enough. It all depends on what you want to do on your computer.

You have a year to get the warranty so if you don't buy it now you can w/in the year. I just extended mine last week for this imac (we have 2) since it was set to expire on vday (was my vday pressie last year)

[Julie Billingsley]

Originally Posted by juliem888

Are they worth it?

What specs would you suggest?

I would like to run photoshop cs5, perhaps Lightroom etc.

I am thinking of this model with upgrade to 8mb ram + upgrade to i7
3.1GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
2560 x 1440 resolution
4GB (two 2GB) memory
1TB hard drive1
AMD Radeon HD 6970M with 1GB
+ the time capsule (worth it?)
+ warranty (again worth it?)

if not the iMac why the macbookpro other than travelling with it?

Was it worth it? For me, yes. I was having soo many problems with Windows computers that I was daily threatening to throw it out the window. I just wanted a computer that worked smoothly and apparently I have bad luck with PCs. I priced out new computers and the iMac was just a little more expensive than the Dell computer that I was also interested in, so I decided to take the plunge into Apple. I do not regret my decision one bit.

I didn't go with the time capsule, but instead bumped up my internal hard drive to 2TB. I already had an EHD for backup anyway. I have the i5 processor, 8GB memory, 2TB hard drive, and 512MB graphics card. I have not had one problem with this computer since I got it in June last year and I've never thought "gee, wish I had sprung for more _____ ." I did get the AppleCare Protection Plan. Which I haven't needed at all yet. I am glad I got it for the peace of mind since this is an all in one unit.

And I wanted to pipe in about moving around the house with an iMac. My husband laughingly calls my iMac the biggest laptop because I've had him move it to other rooms about once a week. I have a desk in my family room, but if I want to spend time in the living room on the computer, then my husband moves it for me. I've had hand surgery otherwise I'd do it myself. Since the iMac just has one thing to plug in, it's super easy to set up anywhere in the house. I couldn't travel elsewhere with it, but for around the house, it's awesome.

Hope that helps!

[Traci Reed]

Yeah, I got the lowest end iMac and I never have issues (I upgraded to 4GB RAM) I live my life on my computer and obviously design and I don't need the high end ones...

You really only need the high end ones if you're creating animation and such....

[Traci Reed]

Originally Posted by Julie Billingsley

And I wanted to pipe in about moving around the house with an iMac. My husband laughingly calls my iMac the biggest laptop because I've had him move it to other rooms about once a week. I have a desk in my family room, but if I want to spend time in the living room on the computer, then my husband moves it for me. I've had hand surgery otherwise I'd do it myself. Since the iMac just has one thing to plug in, it's super easy to set up anywhere in the house. I couldn't travel elsewhere with it, but for around the house, it's awesome.

Hope that helps!

I move my iMac all the time! I'm never in my "office" Right now I'm at the kitchen table...when I was pregnant/had a new baby, I had it on the coffee table so I could sit on the couch...LOL

[marlathrall]

Originally Posted by Traci Reed

I move my iMac all the time! I'm never in my "office" Right now I'm at the kitchen table...when I was pregnant/had a new baby, I had it on the coffee table so I could sit on the couch...LOL

Our DVD player broke a couple weeks ago and we wanted to watch a movie. I tried so hard to convince my hubby to just move my 27-inch iMac to the coffee table and he wouldn't. lol. I could totally see myself doing this if I was actually home and on my iMac as much. Unfortunately, I don't get a lot of time with her.

I didn't get time machine, because I already had an external harddrive that I just plug in and have it automatically back up to. It's pretty easy.

And yes, going with Apple is totally worth it. My MacBookPro is just over two years old and still works perfectly. I am super hard on computers and have NEVER had a laptop last over 18 months. I love all my Macs.

[taracotta7]

You will NEVER regret going Mac. I love my macbook pro. When I purchased mine about 18 months ago, I wanted it portable. Now that I am in my office most of the time, I wish I would of gone iMac with the largest monitor possible! SO, whenever I can sweet talk my hubby out of a bit of money, I may be going that route. I love my lappy though. I like being able to take it with me places. If I got the iMac, I would still keep my macbook for that purpose of when I travel or want to meet up with a friend to digi scrap.

Yeah for a fun new purchase! You are going to love it!

[k23m]

I dont have any advice, but I just want to say I am *jealous*! LOL

[Nettio]

We almost bought my DH an iMac but ended up going with a Mac Mini and a cinema display instead. I wouldn't recommend that for you but I don't think you can go wrong with the big screen on the iMac. I love the portability of my MBP but I can't wait until I can upgrade it and use it with the cinema display.

Oh and Time Capsule I probably wouldn't buy ( you can always get it later) but Apple Care I do recommend. It's nice not to have to worry if you need something fixed or replaced.

[ripal]

Originally Posted by juliem888

Okay I decided that I am switching to Mac, I own almost everything else apple has..lol

So I need your help please... I am looking at the all in one macs (the iMac).. Are they worth it? What specs would you suggest? I would like to run photoshop cs5, perhaps Lightroom etc.

I have googled and searched here, but most people have MacBooks, I don't want a laptop sorry mean notebook :-)

I am thinking of this model with upgrade to 8mb ram + upgrade to i7
3.1GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
2560 x 1440 resolution
4GB (two 2GB) memory
1TB hard drive1
AMD Radeon HD 6970M with 1GB
+ the time capsule (worth it?)
+ warranty (again worth it?)

Thanks ladies any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and if not the iMac why the macbookpro other than travelling with it?
(gotta love Christmas + birthday close together..lol)

I got my iMac in December. I think I have most of the specs as you're looking for:
Intel® Core™ i5 processor
6MB L3 cache and 2.7GHz processor speed.
Features smart 4-way processing performance with a speed boost.
4GB DDR3 memory, expandable to 16GB.
27" LED-backlit TFT widescreen display with 2560 x 1440 resolution for intense images.
1TB hard drive (7200 rpm)
AMD Radeon HD 6770M graphics
512MB of GDDR5 video memory for lush images. Dual-display and video mirroring capability.

I don't have time capsule or the warranty. For now, since I just transferred all of my photos and kits from EHD to iMac, I already have a backup of it all. I plan on either buying time capsule or just another 2TB EHD down the road.

I bought mine from Best Buy, not sure if it makes any difference if you buy from Apple. For me, it was just cheaper to buy from Best Buy and I got $40 back as Reward Zone. Price tag was a bit out of my comfort zone, but so far I'm loving it!

If I need portability, I have a PC laptop that I can use. Mostly, if I'm on computer from anywhere besides my own room, it's only for web work anyway. If I want to work from home, I had to have PC, since my work doesn't support Macs. So, right now, my laptop is reformatted with no other software than the browsers and the VPN client on it.

[dana]

oooh - you'll love it

we have an older iMac and two macbook pros right now - i love the portability of the macbook pro b/c we travel a lot - but i'm actually planning for my next mac purchase to be a nice new iMac and a much smaller macbook pro that i just use for travel. my current MBP is too big and heavy (17 inch) ...

i guess i'm one of the only ones with a time capsule i LOVE mine! i love being able to wirelessly and automatically backup and the wireless router w/ the time capsule has actually outperformed any other other router we've ever had (we had belkins and linksys routers previously) ... i have a second EHD that i use for backups as well - b/c i get nervous w/ just one ... but the time capsule is my main backup.

i have the warranty too - it has more than paid for itself w/ my MBP (i'm not that easy on my computers)

oh - i also really like the one-to-one service - i have gone to many workshops and individual instruction sessions and learned lots.

[Paula]

I love both my Macs. I have a Macbook Pro and an iMac and love them both. It is money well spent.

[KristinCB]

rumors are that the new imacs are coming this spring.. depending on your need you might want to hold off? the ones out now will likely be priced down some to clear out or you could get the newer version etc. The new OS isn't coming out till late summer though so maybe the imac has been pushed back too..

THere is a site out there somewhere that shows if its better to buy now or hold off if you can and back when I was checking (late fall) said to wait on the imac..

My baby just turned 5 years old and is still working awesome! just kinda want to have a second mac around so will pass this one on to the kids (and hubby.. haha) when the time comes

[BrattyMeg]

macrumors.com is the site I check

I need to buy another one or something this year for taxes...rather have the writeoff than owe lol

[juliem888]

Well I have done it! I bought the imac today..although I am still posting on the pc.. lol...About to shut down the pc and open the mac box, but wanted some helpful hints and tips ladies.... What do I NEED to get..lol..Got the photoshop sorted So that's the first install

What else does this little mac girl need....

Thank you all for your advice, it has made my decision buying so much easier... thank you once again!